The Marcion Heresy
Summary
TLDRThis video delves into the heresy of Marcionism, founded by Marcion in 85 A.D. in Synops, Turkey. Marcion, born into a Christian household, was excommunicated by the Church of Rome in 144 A.D. for proposing two Gods: one evil creator of the material world and a good God who sent Jesus. His beliefs were considered unscriptural and Gnostic. Marcion created an early biblical canon, excluding the Old Testament and editing the Gospel of Luke and Paul's Epistles. Church fathers like Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Tertullian opposed Marcion's views, arguing for the unity of the Old and New Testaments. Tertullian noted Marcion's late-life repentance, though he died before rejoining the Church.
Takeaways
- 😇 Marcion was a significant figure in early Christianity, known for founding a heretical sect.
- 🗓 Born in 85 A.D. in Synops, modern-day Turkey, Marcion lived during the Roman Empire era.
- ✝️ Initially a Christian, Marcion traveled to Rome in the 130s A.D. to deepen his faith.
- 🚫 In 144 A.D., Marcion was excommunicated by the Church of Rome for his unorthodox beliefs.
- 🌐 Marcion's teachings proposed the existence of two Gods: an evil creator of the material world and a good God who sent Jesus.
- 📜 He rejected the Old Testament, viewing its God as evil, and only accepted a modified version of the Gospel of Luke and ten of Paul's Epistles.
- 🔗 Marcion's ideas align with Gnostic thought, which differentiates between the material and spiritual realms.
- 👨🏫 Early Church Fathers like Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Tertullian opposed Marcion's views and worked to refute them.
- 📚 Marcion is credited with creating one of the first attempts at a biblical canon, though it was heavily edited to fit his beliefs.
- 🔄 Despite his heretical status, some accounts suggest Marcion repented and was reconciled with the Church before his death.
Q & A
Who was Marcion and what was his significance in early Christianity?
-Marcion was a significant figure in early Christianity, known for founding a heretical sect. He was born in 85 A.D. in Synops, modern-day Turkey, and lived under the Roman Empire. He was excommunicated by the Church of Rome in 144 A.D. due to his unorthodox beliefs and went on to establish a large following in his home country.
What were the central beliefs of Marcionism?
-Marcionism proposed the existence of two Gods: an evil God who created the material world and a good God who sent Jesus to save humanity. Marcion believed the evil God was the deity of the Old Testament, in stark contrast to the loving God of the New Testament.
Why was Marcion excommunicated by the Church of Rome?
-Marcion was excommunicated because the Church of Rome deemed his beliefs unscriptural and heretical. His dualistic view of God and rejection of the Old Testament were seen as contradicting the core tenets of Christian faith.
What was Marcion's stance on the Old and New Testaments?
-Marcion rejected the Old Testament entirely, viewing its God as evil and incompatible with the loving God of the New Testament. He created his own version of the New Testament, which included an edited version of the Gospel of Luke and ten of Paul's Epistles, with verses that supported his views.
Who were the main opponents of Marcion and what were their arguments against him?
-The main opponents of Marcion included Church Fathers Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Tertullian. They argued against Marcion's dualistic theology and his editing of scriptures to fit his beliefs. They maintained that the Old and New Testaments were united and that Marcion's actions were heretical.
What did Marcion edit out of the Gospel of Luke and Paul's Epistles?
-Marcion edited out parts of the Gospel of Luke and Paul's Epistles that uplifted the Old Testament God or that conflicted with his dualistic view of God. He aimed to create a New Testament that supported his belief in a separate, good God.
How did the early Church Fathers view Marcion's editing of scriptures?
-The early Church Fathers were appalled by Marcion's editing of scriptures. They saw it as a mutilation of the texts and an attack on the unity of the Old and New Testaments, which they believed were foundational to Christian faith.
What was the impact of Marcion's beliefs on the early Christian Church?
-Marcion's beliefs challenged the early Church's understanding of God and scripture, leading to significant debates and the strengthening of Church doctrines. His sect, though eventually deemed heretical, had a lasting impact on the development of Christian theology.
Did Marcion ever repent of his teachings, and what is the historical account of this?
-According to Tertullian, Marcion did reportedly repent of his teachings towards the end of his life and was allowed back into the Church. However, this claim is debated among historians, and Marcion passed away before this could be fully confirmed.
What is the legacy of Marcionism in the context of Christian history?
-The legacy of Marcionism is multifaceted. It represents a significant early challenge to Church orthodoxy, prompting a more defined response to heresy and a clearer articulation of Christian doctrine. Marcion's efforts also highlight the diversity of beliefs in early Christianity.
Outlines
🌐 Introduction to Marcionism and its Founder
The video discusses the heresy of Marcionism, founded by Marcion who was born in Synop, modern-day Turkey, in 85 A.D. He was raised in a Christian household and traveled to Rome in the 130s A.D. to deepen his faith. Despite gaining a following, Marcion was excommunicated by the Church of Rome in 144 A.D. due to his unorthodox beliefs. He then returned to his homeland and established a lasting following. Marcion proposed the existence of two Gods: an evil God who created the material world and a good God who sent Jesus for salvation. He rejected the Old Testament and its God, viewing them as evil, and instead focused on the Gospel of Luke and ten of Paul's Epistles, which he edited to align with his beliefs. This stance was seen as anti-Jewish and likely influenced by the Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire in the 130s A.D. Marcion's views were opposed by early church fathers like Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Tertullian, who criticized his rejection of the Old Testament and his editing of the New Testament texts.
📜 Church Fathers' Opposition and Marcion's Repentance
The video continues by detailing the opposition of three prominent Church Fathers to Marcion's teachings. Justin Martyr, who lived during Marcion's time, wrote about him in his 'First Apology,' accusing Marcion of teaching a different God and denying the Creator's role in the universe. Irenaeus, writing around 185 A.D., criticized Marcion for mutilating the Gospel of Luke and the teachings of Jesus to remove references to the Creator. Tertullian, in his writings against Marcion, argued that the New Testament fulfills the Old Testament and that separating them undermines their foundation. Interestingly, Tertullian also mentions that Marcion reportedly repented of his teachings towards the end of his life and was reconciled with the Church before his death. The video concludes by summarizing the Church Fathers' view of Marcion as a heretical Christian whose beliefs contradicted the core tenets of scripture.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Marcionism
💡Excommunication
💡Old Testament
💡New Testament
💡Gnosticism
💡Justin Martyr
💡Irenaeus
💡Tertullian
💡Biblical Canon
💡Pontus
💡Heresy
Highlights
Marcionism is a heretical belief system that the early church rejected.
Marcion was born in 85 A.D. in Synops, modern-day Turkey.
He was born into a Christian household and traveled to Rome in the late 130s A.D.
Marcion was excommunicated by the Church of Rome in 144 A.D. for his unscriptural beliefs.
After excommunication, Marcion returned to his home country and established a large following.
Marcion proposed the existence of two Gods: an evil God who created the material world and a good God who sent Jesus.
Marcion viewed the God of the Old Testament as evil, in contrast to the loving God of the New Testament.
Marcion's beliefs align with Gnostic thinking, which is a subject of a separate video.
Marcion is credited with creating the first official biblical Canon, excluding the Old Testament.
His New Testament consisted of an edited version of the Gospel of Luke and ten of Paul's Epistles.
Marcion's edits to the Gospel of Luke and Paul's Epistles removed references to the Old Testament God.
Marcion's anti-Jewish stance may have been influenced by the Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire in the 130s A.D.
Church fathers like Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Tertullian opposed Marcion's views.
Justin Martyr criticized Marcion for teaching a different God and denying God's role as creator.
Irenaeus accused Marcion of mutilating the Gospel of Luke by removing verses.
Tertullian argued that the New Testament fulfills the Old Testament, and they are interdependent.
The church fathers saw Marcion as a heretic whose beliefs contradicted the unity of the Old and New Testaments.
Tertullian suggested that Marcion repented of his teachings towards the end of his life.
Transcripts
welcome back today we're discussing the
heresy of martianism and while the early
church followers rejected it
Martian was the founder of the soretical
belief he was born in 85 A.D in synops
synop is in modern day Turkey
so Martian lived under the rule of the
Roman Empire
Marcin was as well born into a more
Christian household and eventually
traveled to Rome in the late 130s A.D to
further his faith
Martian started to build somewhat of a
following there but eventually in 144
A.D the Church of Rome excommunicated
him as they thought his beliefs were
unscriptural
after this took place Marcin headed back
to his home country and established a
large following there
in fact the churches he established
there have actually lasted for centuries
after his death
now what were these beliefs that the
Church of Rome were so shocked by that
they had to excommunicate marcion
marcian proposed that there were two
Gods an evil God who created the
material world and a good God who sent
Jesus to save us morrissian believed
that this evil God was the god of the
Old Testament in fact marcion looked
down at the Old Testament God and
couldn't see how the god of the New
Testament who he saw as loving was the
same being as the Old Testament who is
evil as you can see his beliefs fall
under more of a gnostic set of thinking
if you would like to know more about the
gnostics I made a video about them in
the description below
marcian is said to have come up with the
first official biblical Canon of course
since he rejected the Old Testament God
he is well rejected the Old Testament as
scripture his whole new testament
composed of the Gospel of Luke although
he did edit out the parts that he saw
uplifted the Old Testament God
he as well had used ten of Paul's
Epistles which were as well edited by
him
what you can see here based on all of
this is a rejection of Jewish texts as
Luke is considered to be a gentile and
Paul of course was a Roman citizen this
anti-jewish presence we see in Martian
was most likely caused by the Jewish
revolt against the Roman Empire that had
occurred in the 130s AED
many early church fathers opposed
marcian's views but the main three would
be Justin Martyr irenaeus and tertullian
Justin Martyr actually lived during the
time period of marcian and wrote his
opinion on him in his first apology
for example Justin mother says this
about marcion and there is marcion a man
of Pontius who is even at this day alive
and teaching his disciples to believe in
some other God greater than the Creator
Justin even says this
and as we said before the Devils put
forward marcian of Pontius who is even
now teaching Ben to deny that God is the
maker of all things in heaven and on
Earth
of Leon who wrote around 185 A.D saw how
Marcin had took out verses that he
didn't like theologically so irenaeus
says this about marcion
he mutilates the gospel which is
according to Luke removing all that is
written respecting the generation of the
Lord and setting aside a great deal of
the teaching of the Lord in which the
Lord is recorded as most dearly
confessing that the maker of this
universe is his father
aaronis then further says this
but since this man is the only one who
has dared to openly mutilate the
scriptures into unblemishingly above all
others to invade against God I purpose
specially to refute him convicting him
of his own writings
the Church Father tatulian wrote books
against marcion into a 7 A.D to trillion
holds to the position that the New
Testament fulfills the Old Testament and
they are both dependent on each other
for example he says this
for since Martian separated the New
Testament from the old he is necessarily
subsequent to that which he separated in
as much as it was only in his power to
separate what was previously United
to sum up the beliefs of the church
fathers on marcian they believed he was
a heretical Christian who had beliefs
that contradicted the basics of
scripture the church fathers believed
that the old and the New Testament were
United so to separate them was to
separate and destroy their very
Foundation they stood upon
the church fathers were as well
disgusted by how Marcin took out verses
he didn't like in Luke's gospel and
Paul's Epistles
interestingly enough tertullian actually
talks about how marcian towards the end
of his life repented of his own false
teaching and was allowed back into the
church
but before this could happen Marcin
passed away
thank you for watching this quick video
on marcian's heresy if you enjoyed
please leave a like And subscribe and as
always God bless
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